Erickson, Plummer headed to CFB Hall of Fame

Dennis Erickson and Jake Plummer, two men with Idaho ties, are part of this year’s 15-member class named to the College Football Hall of Fame on Monday.

Erickson, who served two stints as Idaho Vandals football coach and also coached at Washington State, won two national championships at Miami. Erickson already is in numerous halls of fame, including the Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame.

Erickson joins former quarterback John Friesz of Coeur d’Alene as the only Vandals in the College Football Hall of Fame. Friesz, who played under Erickson for one year, won the 1989 Walter Payton Award. He was inducted into the hall of fame in 2006.

“If it wasn’t for the University of Idaho I probably never would have accomplished some of the things I’ve accomplished,” Erickson said last year when he was inducted into the Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame. “(Former athletic director) Bill Belknap and (former president) Dr. Richard Gibb gave me my first head coaching job. We still call North Idaho home because of the great people and great institution.”

Plummer, who played at Capital High in Boise, starred at Arizona State before enjoying a lengthy career in the NFL. He vacations and has family in North Idaho, and briefly lived in Sandpoint.

“I’m honored/humbled/surprised to be inducted into the 2019 @cfbhall alongside all the other amazing #ballers,” Plummer tweeted. “I’m proud to represent all my @ASUFootball teammates/brothers &coaches that were instrumental in all of my success both on&off the field! #GoDevils.”

Erickson led his teams to 12 bowl games and at least a share of six conference titles in 23 successful seasons as a head coach.

Erickson began his head-coaching career at Idaho from 1982-85, where he became the first coach since 1938 to post consecutive winning seasons at the school and the first coach in Vandals history to have four consecutive winning seasons. Erickson led Idaho to the Big Sky Conference title in 1985 and two trips to the FCS Playoffs. Following a one-year stint as the head coach at Wyoming in 1986, he took over the program at Washington State for two seasons. In his second year, Erickson was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year after leading the Cougars to their first nine-win season since 1930 and their first bowl victory in 73 seasons — a win over Houston in the 1988 Aloha Bowl.

Erickson would see his greatest success at Miami from 1989-94, posting a 63-9 record and an 87.5 winning percentage, which remains the highest in school history. The only coach to win two national titles at Miami, his Hurricanes took home the crown following the 1989 and 1991 seasons while playing in two other national championship games in 1992 and 1994.

After a four-year stint as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Erickson took over the program at Oregon State in 1999 and sparked a massive turnaround. In his first season, he led the Beavers to their first winning season in 29 years and their first bowl appearance in 35 years. Erickson’s best season at Oregon State came in 2000, when he helped the program snap its 33-year losing streak to USC and earn a share of the Pac-10 Conference title for the first time since 1964. The Pac-10 Coach of the Year that season, he guided Oregon State to an 11-1 record, a win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl (the school’s first major bowl appearance since 1965) and the No. 4 final ranking (the highest finish in school history).

After two seasons as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and one return season at Idaho, Erickson took his final head-coaching job at Arizona State in 2007.

A native of Everett, Wash., Erickson was a two-time All-Big Sky quarterback while leading Montana State to three conference titles. Erickson has once again come out of retirement to be the head coach of the Salt Lake Stallions in the Alliance of American Football, a new professional league that will kick off in February.

A First Team All-American in 1996, “Jake the Snake” Plummer finished third for the Heisman Trophy after leading Arizona State to an 11-1 season that included an undefeated regular season and the program’s second-ever Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl berth. The 1996 Pac-10 Player of the Year was also a finalist for the Walter Camp, Davey O’Brien and Johnny Unitas awards as a senior.

Taken in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, Plummer played 10 years in the NFL for the Cardinals (1997-2002) and Denver Broncos (2003-06). He led the league in passing yards per completion as a rookie, and the following season he led the Cardinals to their first postseason victory since 1947. Plummer’s best season in the NFL came in 2005 when he was named to the Pro Bowl after leading the Broncos to the AFC Championship Game.

Off the field, he established the Jake Plummer Foundation, which is geared toward Alzheimer’s research, caregivers and kids while also giving back to the Family Tree in Denver and Phoenix Children’s Hospital. An avid handball player and promoter, he created the “Plummer Family Helluva Handball Bash” in Coeur d’Alene to benefit Campfire USA.

The 2019 College Football Hall of Fame class will be officially inducted during the 62nd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10 at the New York Hilton Midtown.

Erickson is one of two coaches to be inducted this year. The other is Joe Taylor, who went 233-96-4 at Howard (1983), Virginia Union (1984-91), Hampton (1992-2007) and Florida A&M (2008-12).

Plummer is one of 13 players to be inducted this year. The others are Florida State defensive back Terrell Buckley (1989-91), Oklahoma defensive back Rickey Dixon (1984-87), John Carroll (Ohio) linebacker London Fletcher (1995-97), Texas A&M defensive lineman and eventual Seattle Seahawk Jacob Green (1977-79), N.C. State wide receiver Torry Holt (1995-98), Notre Dame kick returner/wide receiver Raghip Ismail; Arkansas running back Darren McFadden (2005-07), USC defensive back Troy Polamalu (1999-2002), Wisconsin offensive lineman Joe Thomas (2003-06), Michigan State running back Lorenzo White (1984-87), Mississippi linebacker Patrick Willis (2003-06) and Texas quarterback Vince Young (2003-05).